Will Blueberry Netting Systems Save your Berries?
The blueberries need saving whether they are in your backyard or you are harvesting a huge crop. The berries will need to be saved from the pest birds because birds love blueberries. And if one bird finds the berry treasure, they will spread the news to their friends. The whole flock will be onto your garden and in a matter of no time at all will strip the area clean. Some of the guilty culprits could be the crow, starling, grackle and even the house sparrow. They all are fruit eaters.
When the garden is being planted is when there needs to be a blueberry netting system ready to put into place. It is not a good idea to wait until there is fruit on the bushes. A blueberry netting system will work whether the blueberry plants are in the ground or in containers. Often times blueberry plants are an accent plant and people use them on the patio for decorations. The birds will find them, even on your patio.
A blueberry netting system is a great way to make sure the pest birds do not mess with the fruits of your labor. Garden bird netting is a type of physical bird deterrent that is an excellent blueberry netting system. The netting creates a barrier so the bird will not have access to the plant. The netting is very cost effective and easy to install. Just about any backyard gardener is able to apply it to the plants and even any fruit trees in the yard. Bird garden netting comes in different mesh sizes from to 3/4. The netting is U.V. protected and made of polypropylene. It is extremely durable and strong, yet it is very lightweight and easy to manage.
Garden bird netting can be used for any garden plant or the entire area of the garden. It is recommended that the bird netting be suspended over the entire garden area by a few inches. The reason being is that it will make it more difficult if the bird decides to land on the netting and try and poke its beak through the mesh. The way to suspend the netting is to first secure polls or stakes around the perimeter of the area that is in need of protection. You then attach the garden bird netting to the polls using a staple gun, hooks or net clips that are specifically used for this purpose. The thing to remember is to cut the netting approximately a foot larger than the area. This will give you additional material to work with. Also when securing trees, make sure there are no gaps around the trunk for the birds to gain access because they could become trapped in the netting.
A healthy blueberry plant will fruit for 15 to 20 years before slowing down. You can harvest berries every five days or so, that is, unless you have left the blueberries for the birds.